Resurrection
by Aurora-of-Aragon
Summary: With her stay at Terminus about to end, Michonne is still struggling with loss. Her fears run deep at the prospect of leaving Georgia and allowing her old life and identity to pass from her. Through her friendship with Rick, Michonne learns that she is not alone in her quest for self rediscovery. This is a very short Richonne fic.


Michonne sat in a lawn chair on top of the tallest building in the Terminus compound. It was four in the morning. Everyone was still sleeping. She was left alone with her thoughts as her gaze was transfixed past the miles upon miles of green forest blanketing the countryside. Peace had been achieved at Terminus. The sour smell of scorched and decaying bodies faded and the morning dew drops of wet greenery were being ushered in by a warm, damp breeze. Soon all of them would fade away as well. As soon as dawn broke she and the others would begin their journey north. Abraham had confirmed the existence of a successfully fortified "safe zone" but she knew better than to place all of her faith into that.

_Alexandria._

Michonne was afraid. Part of her wanted to stay at Terminus. She could continue to come up to the rooftop and stare off into the forest and hold onto what she had once been, but the practical side of her knew that they had to move.

_She just didn't want to let go._

Tears fell from her eyes. The pain was still there. It would always be. But with each passing day it lessened. Would that mean that Andre would eventually fade away…forever?

"Michonne?" Rick called out as he came up from the stairs leading out to the rooftop.

She snapped out of her thoughts and quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. She could hear Rick's footsteps approaching from behind. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her shaken. When he came to her side, she avoided eye contact and focused on the forest. He sat on the edge of the rooftop.

When the group voted unanimously several days ago to travel to Alexandria, Rick noticed that Michonne had started to withdraw again. He knew that she hadn't been sleeping well because he too was struggling to rest. During his own battles with insomnia he sat in the window of his room and watched Michonne. Yes, it was definitely stalkerish but he had to know that she was ok. Each time she would go to the rooftop and made him wonder what was up there. Whatever it was, it made her incredibly sad. He wished that by merely watching over her at those moments he could lessen her pain and send her the happiness that she so rightly deserved. His heart wouldn't be able to take it if one morning he woke and she had left Carl and-

Rick fiddled with his wedding band as an uncomfortable silence invaded the thick air and broke him from his thoughts.

"Grimes why are you here?" Michonne asked after she blew out some air.

"I can leave if you want to be alone." He replied back.

She found his presence soothing but said nothing.

"What are you looking at, Michonne?" Rick asked, deciding to push his luck.

Again Michonne sat in silence. The sadness she had felt just seconds ago left her. There was something lingering from him in the air and it was the first time that she had felt anything like it pass through her body. Frustrated, Rick had gotten up and turned to walk away.

"Atlanta." She urgently spat out knowing that this would keep him with her.

"Atlanta?" Rick inquired as he sat back down.

"I'm looking at Atlanta. I know that I can't see it but it's out there. I'm out there. " Michonne answered, still not making eye contact.

Bewildered, Rick continued to watch her, knowing that she was in a different time and place. He wanted to take this journey with her and allowed her to lead the way.

"Andre is there." She said barely above a whisper. "He was my son."

_Son. _

That word traveled through the sky like a mighty bolt of lightning.

Rick continued to fiddle with his ring. At first he wondered why Michonne chose this moment to reveal to him that she was once a mother but with their impending move it all made sense. He didn't know what to say to her. Suddenly it wasn't about saying the right words but just sharing things from his heart…sharing his insecurities, questions, and struggles.

"I don't know what the future holds. I don't even know who I am anymore. I'm no longer a cop or a husband. That was pretty much all I ever was and that's scary to me. Rick Grimes died in that hospital room. I may have woken up from that coma but I am not him. His spirit only lives on in that room. That I am sure of."

Michonne broke from her trance and curiously watched Rick play with his ring. "We're never coming back to Georgia, are we?"

Rick's eyes locked with Michonne's. His serene gaze eyes told her his answer. He at least seemed to be at peace with it.

"We are the walking dead, Michonne, devoid of who we once were. Like I said before, I died in that hospital-

"And I died when Andre-"She began before faltering.

Rick looked out into the sky and yawned. "Alexandria can be our resurrection I guess. I don't know who I will become along the way but I can't stay here. I can't keep being stuck. You know?"

Michonne knew that Rick was right although she could tell that he was trying to convince even himself of the bullshit he just hurled her way. She had to move on and moving on didn't mean forgetting about Andre. She stood up and told Rick that she was going to try and rest some more. He watched her saunter off not knowing what to do next.

Rick wanted Michonne to stay with him. He wanted to keep her from running away. He wanted to take away her sadness. He wanted to take away her insecurities. He wanted to protect her from walkers and anything else that was thrown their way. He wanted to take off his ring. He didn't want to take off his ring. He wanted the future. He just simply wanted her and it scared the hell out of him.

In the morning the group gathered out in the courtyard to make the final preparations for travel. After they had taken care of Gareth, Mary, and their followers, Rick's group had freed the remaining captives who in turn led them to a warehouse full of vehicles. The past few days they had been servicing the assortment of trucks, cars, and vans and packing them up with goods, supplies and personal belongings. Rick had never seen Michonne pack anything into any of the vehicles the group had chosen for the trip. In fact he had never seen her anywhere near the prepared caravan. She had made so much progress during the time she had been with them but after last night, Rick was unsure of her mental state. For a moment his heart sank, along with his dreams. He asked Carl if he had seen her. When Carl opened the passenger door to their silver F-150 that would lead the way to Alexandria, Rick smiled when he saw Michonne sitting peacefully in the front seat. She was almost unrecognizable. She had lost the headband and tied her hair up into an elaborate bun. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of aviator glasses. She had been sitting in the truck for most of the morning still at war with emotions storming inside of her mind.

After a brief conference all parties got into their vehicles and pulled up to the gate. Rick, Michonne, Carl and Judith led the way while Rosita, Abraham, and Tara brought up the rear in their Hummer. The remaining former captives, approximately 15 of them were spread in other vehicles amongst Maggie, Glenn, Tyreese, Carol, Sasha, and Bob. Rick got out of the truck and opened Terminus' main gate.

Michonne said nothing as their caravan finally pulled away from Terminus. Images of her life in Atlanta flooded her mind. She thought of her days in the courtroom, her meeting Mike for the first time, giving birth to Andre and then losing him…then she thought about Andrea. Happier moments floated into her mind: Helping Carl retrieve the picture of his mom for Judith, helping Carl to laugh again, bonding with her new family and Rick.

_Rick_

Tears started to flood her eyes again. She wasn't sure if she had anymore left.

It frightened Rick to think about what he would have to face at Alexandria.

_Stability_.

With the walkers possibly not being as big of a threat what new danger would he have to face?

_Intimacy. _

He let that thought linger in the pit of his stomach as he cautiously reached over and grabbed Michonne's hand and tried to comfort her through her tears. It had been the first time he had touched her since her pushed his finger into her bullet wound so many months ago. He was so ashamed of how he had treated her and he wasn't surprised when she didn't respond to his comforting. Rick, disappointed was about to pull his hand away when Michonne stopped him and squeezed his hand tightly. Before she squeezed his hand she noticed his left hand holding the steering wheel. His wedding band was gone. Michonne removed her sunglasses and locked her dark eyes with Rick's concerned blue gaze. They both knew what it meant: Death, renewal, a resurrection, and a promise that was unspoken between them. This was all new to Michonne. Letting go and realizing that in that moment it was safe to be vulnerable in an uncertain world. Akwardly, she clasped both of her hands around Rick's free hand and stroked it with her fingers. Just as awkwardly, Rick planted a small kiss on her forehead sending them both into a frenzy. Michonne and Rick quickly pulled away and giggled to themselves after they caught Carl raising an eyebrow in the rearview mirror. Terminus grew smaller behind them as they witnessed a glorious marigold sunrise.


End file.
